"And I mean try, cowboy. Everything you've got."
Ty Murray
"These bulls don't know who he is, nor do they care."
Shorty Gorham
"Holy ____."
Chad Ochocinco
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You didn't want it to be all about Chad Ochocinco, did you?
I didn't, either.
I was planning to resist it, but I couldn't. Because in the course of a day, the bravado drained out of a terrified football player and a cowboy walked him though it. It was a good moment for bull riding.
"Someone like me, an elite athlete in football, came here and was humbled," Ochocinco said.
I had a lot of respect for him. Like Ty Murray said, he talked the talk and then he walked the walk. The talk is easy. The walk, not so much.
J.W. Hart said that seeing all the riders gathered around the chute waiting for the ride made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It was a good moment. Maybe even a great moment.
Ty Murray. What can you say about that guy? He was courteous and welcoming. He had no chip on his shoulder, no axe to grind, at least that you could see. He seemed as protective as a father to someone who had challenged the sport he has spent a good part of his life building up. And if the few moments when Ty Murray talked Chad Ochocinco through the chute preparation didn't give you goosebumps, well, I got them for you.
The Rest of It
J.B. Mauney busted out and won the weekend. I won't say he broke the slump, because who knows, he might not have. As you know, I'm not a J.B. fan or a J.B. detractor. It's just good to see a good rider have a good weekend after so many weekends of bad.
The Ochocinco excitement eclipsed the fact that:
- There were only 28 rides out of 100 attempts this weekend.
- There were three riders in the final Championship Round who qualified with only one ride.
- Ben Jones got one score and still managed to be in 11th place for the event.
Keep Scrolling for More
Scroll on down the page for some Des Moines numbers, bull stats and pedigrees, and the video of Chad Ochocinco on Deja Blu. And if you feel like it, send me an email or post a comment here or on Facebook. I'd love to hear what you thought of the event.
